Valve indicator



(No Model.) 2 "Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. L. ROWE. VALVE INDIOATOR.=

No. 606,584. v Patented June 28, 1898-. Fig.1 I

UN TED STATES PATENT QFFIQE.

ELLIS L. ROWE, oF TROY, NEW vortmAssienon TOTHE RENSSELAER MANUFAQTURING COMPANY, or SAME PLACE.

VALVE-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 606,584, dated June 28, 1898.

Ap lication filed January 27','1 s' 9s'. Serial n52 668,221. (No model.)

- To aZZ whom it may e m Locum Beit known that I, ELLIs L. ROWE, of Troy, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful" Improvements in Valve -Indicators; andv I l hereby declare that the following is a full, f

clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawin gs, which form part of this specification This invention is an improvement in valveindicators designed to disclose at a glance whether the valve to which the indicator is attached is opened or closed; and the objects of the invention are to provide an indicator attachment which may be readily appliedto many kinds of valves and in which-one sign is fixed and the other movable and of such relative form that it would be impossible-for malicious persons to interchange them.

The invention therefore consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and the accompanying drawings illustrate the same as applied to ordinary forms of valves.

Figure 1 is aperspective View ofa straightway valve having;a. screw stuffing-box with my improved;- iudicator attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is an enlargedyertical section through.

the indicator. -..Fig, 3 is a perspective View of the various partsot' the indicator mechanism detached. Fig.4 is a perspective view of a f valve having a bolted stuffing-box, showing the indicator sli ghtlym odified', so asto bei more-readily applicable to such valve. Fig.

5 is a perspective view of part of the indicating mechanism shown in Fig. 4. Fig.6 is a detail showing a slight modification. v

A designates an ordinary stra'ightway valve having a spindle or-stem B, which ordinarily has no longitudinal movement, but is adapted when rotated to raise and lower the valvegates by various well-known means, (not shown,) description thereof being-unneces-;

sary here. r v

As shown in the drawings, thespindle is operated .by the hand-wheelh; but of course.

it may berotated bypther means. I W

Theindicating device consists oi:' a stationary shield .or blind D, which'is rigidly attached to a support adapted to be securedto' the Valve-casing beside the stuffing-box, and parallel with and behind this blind, but projecting above the same, is a standard E, also rigidly connected to the support, and on the outer'face of said standard, at a point above the blind, is an indicating-legend, as Shut. This legend may be cast on a metal plate e .and secured to the standard by screws, as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The support for theblind and standard will necessarilybegvaried to suit the different styles of valve-casings to which the indicator is attached. V a As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, where the casing has a screw stuffing-box, the support consists of an annulus F, which is preferably provided on its interior with inwardly-projecting lugs f, that are adapted to center the standard around the base of the stufing-box, as indicated in Fig. 1, andsaid annulus is firmly secured in place by means of a tap-bolt F. As shown in Figs. 4t and 5 the support is adapted to a casing having a bolted stuffing-box, and, in this instance, consists of a flat plate G, adapted to fit between: the upper and lower flanges of the stuffing-box, and p rovided with holes 9 for the passage of-the bog-adj usti'ng bolts 9 and is retained in place by means of auxiliary nuts 9 on said bolts, as indicated in Fig. 4:. .The construction of the-support is not of the essence of the invention and must necessarily vary with the construction of the valve- .casing, and it might be possible in some valves to make the standard andblind integral with the casing. It is essential, however, that the parallel blind and standard be used substantially as indicated in the drawings. The other legend, Open, is on the outer face of a movable bracket H,which preferably has a loop H behind the legend and adapted to loosely fit over the standard E, so that this Qportionof the bracket may slide upand down on .said standard. The bracket has an inwardly-extending arm H by which it is connected to a ring Hflwhich is interiorly threaded to engage a threaded portion I on the stem.

This threaded part I may be simply a threaded sleeve which can be secured to the spindle B .abovethe stuffing-box by means of set-screws xiythus enabling the indicating device to be ICO- easily applied to valves already made or in use.

The legend Open may be formed on a plate h, detaehably secured to the bracket II by screws 7t, as indicated in Fig. 3.

The parts of the indicator are so attached to the valve that when the valve is shut the loop II of the bracket will be lowered beneath the top of and behind blind D, so that the legend Open is totally obscured by the blind, while the legend Shut is disclosed in full view. (See Fig. 1.)

hen the valve is open, the bracket II is raised above the blind D until the loop II totally obscures the legend Shut, the legend Open only beingthen visible. (See Fight.) This reciprocating movement of the bracket II is caused by the engagement of ring 11 with the threaded portion I on the valve-stem and because the bracket is prevented from rotating by the engagement of its loop II with the standard It.

. The indicator can be readily attached to nearly all regular valves now in use by employing the threaded sleeve I, which is slipped over the regular spindle and fastened by a screw 1? in a countersunk hole in the sleeve. However, when new valves are made the spindle itself might be constructed with an integral threaded portion 1.

On regular small valves where the angular support F is used the indicator can be turned to any point desired around the valve and secured by means of a set-screw, as shown. On larger-sized valves having bolted stuffingboxes the indicator can be adjusted to any position allowed by the bolts used in the c011- struction of the stuffing-box. The Open sign is preferably on the part that travels. The Shut sign is preferably on the stationary part. In some instances, however, these legends might be constructed to read oppositely, but the position of the Open and Shut signs on the indicator cannot be changed by malicious persons exchanging the sign-plates one for the other and thereby i11- dicatin g that the valve is in a position different from what it actually is, as the sign-plates are not interchangeable, being of different shapes,and one cannot be substituted in place of the other without detection.

If the valve is placed with the wheel down, as is sometimes necessary, each sign can be removed, reversed, and replaced so as to read correctly in the inverted position of the valve.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have a very simple but efficient indicator attachment, readily applicable to a great variety of valves, and although I have described the same as applied to a valve whose spindles are not longitudinally movable it is obvious that the device could be as readily applied to a device with a movable spindle, as in that case the part I and ring II would cause the bracket II to move longitudinally with the valve-stem; but in such cases the threaded portion I might be replaced by collars above and below the ring II, as indicated in Fig. 0.

Having thus described my invention, what I therefore claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent thereon, is-

1. In an indicator for valves, the combination ofa stationary blind, and the stationary legend behind and above the blind; with a bracket carrying a movable legend and operated by and from the valve-spindle so as to raise said movable legend above the blind, thereby obscuring the stationary legend, or lower the movable legend behind the blind, thereby uncovering the stationary legend, substantially as described.

2. In an indicator for valves, the combination of the standard and blind, said standard projecting above the blind and carrying a legend on its face above the blind; with a movable bracket operated from the valve spindle adapted to slide upon the standard and carrying alegend, said bracket obseu ring the stationary legend when raised, and said blind obscuring the movable legend when the bracket is lowered, substantially as described.

3. In an indicator for valves, the combination of the parallel standard and blind [ixedly attached to the casin g, said standard projeeting above the blind and carrying a legend on its outer face, with a movable bracket adapted to slide upon the standard and carrying a legend on its outer face; and means for operating said bracket from the valvespindle, said bracket obscuring the stationary legend when raised, and said blind obscuring the movable legend when the bracket is lowered, substantially as described.

4. In a valve-indicator, the combination of a blind and a standard parallel with and behind the blind, having a legend on its front face above the blind; with a movable legend adapted to be reciproeated between the standard and blind and to obscure the fixed legend when raised, and to be itself obscured by the blind when lowered, and means for raising and lowering said movable legend operated from the valve-spindle, substantially as described.

5. In avalve-indicator, the combination of a support adapted to be secured to the valvecasing, a blind attached to one side of said support, and a standard attached to said support parallel with and behind the blind, said standard having a fixed legend on its front face above the blind, with a movable legend operated from the valve-spindle adapted to be reciproeated between the standard and blind and to obscure the fixed legend when raised, and to be itself obscured by the blind when lowered, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. In an indicator for valves, the combination of the parallel blind and standard rigidly connected to a support detaehably secured to the casing, said standard having a legend on its outer face; with a verticallymovable bracket operated by and from the IIO valve-spindle and'carrying a'legend on its outer face adapted to obscure the stationary legend when the bracket is raised, and to be itself obscured when the bracket is lowered, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. The combination witha valve, of an in- 'dicator consisting of abl-ind and a standard parallel with and behind the blind, said sta'ndard having a fixed legend on its outer face above the blind; with a bracket having a loop adapted to embrace the standard and a legend on the outer face of said loop, said the blind, also connected to said support,

said standard having a fixed; legend on its outer face above the blind; with a bracket having a loop carrying a legend on its outer face and adapted to embrace the standard and said bracket also having a threaded annulus engaging a threaded portion on the valve-spindle, whereby the bracket is reciprocated when the valve-stem is rotated, so as to cause the legend on the outer face of the bracket to obscure the legend ,on the standard when the bracket is raised, or to be obscured by the blind when the bracket islowered, substantially as and for the purpose described.

9. The combination with the spindle and casing, of a valve; of an indicator, consisting of a blind and a standard parallel with the blind, said standard bearing a'legend on its outer face above the blind, a threaded sleeve secured to the spindle above the stuffing-box, and a bracket having a threaded ring engaging said sleeve, and a loop fittingover said standard, said loop having a legend on its outer face obscured by the blind when the bracket is lowered, and obscuring the legend on the standard when the bracket is raised, substantially as described.

10. The combination with the spindle and casing o f a valve, of a valve-indicator, consisting of a support detachably connected to the casing'beside the stuffing-box thereof, a blind and a standard parallel with the blind,both sea cured to the said support, said standard bearing a legend onits outer face above the blind,

a threaded sleeve made fast to the spindle above the stufling-box, and a bracket having a threaded ring engaging said sleeve and a loop embracing said standard, and having a legend on its outer face obscured by the blind when the bracket is lowered, and obscuring the legend on the standard when the bracket is raised, all substantially as and for the purpose described. I

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' ELLIS L. ROWE. In presence of 'A. W. GILBERT, It. J. RAsMUsoN. 

